


Seven Days until the End of the World: Sunday's Melancholy

by Mr_K_chan



Series: The Path of the Arcane is a long Road [3]
Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona Series, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: A reimagining of how SMT: DeSu2 would be like with the protag having protagship parents, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe- Canon, Canon-Compliant, Crossover, Day 1: Sunday's Melancholy, Family, Finding family & love in the middle of the apocalypse, Multi, Now then let's survive, Post-P3/P4 Canon, The muses won't stop nagging me with this one, To a point, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-08-24 00:11:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16629110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_K_chan/pseuds/Mr_K_chan
Summary: Kuze Hibiki had a good life: two fathers who love him, good friends, good grades. But all too soon, just like his adoptive parents before him, he hears the call.The world is ending. You have seven days to survive.This is the First DayAKA the reimagining of DeSu2 where the narrative nests with P3/P4 plot. Sequel to MilestonesEdit: Split because I apparently didn't know how much I was chewing off. Go me. =_=





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! In an attempt to beat the muses back to work, I finished my GG story. 
> 
> Instead of giving me fodder for APOT, they demanded to make this instead.
> 
> *weeps*

**Tokyo Testing Site [12:00]**

It's the last exams of the day. The air is filled with a general murmur of relief. In a mostly secluded corner of the classroom, a young boy was fiddling with his phone.

  _[Nikujaga for tonight. Get potatoes on your way home?]_

He sighs, tapping out a reply. [ _sur. pp dun dsrt 2?]_

He barely got a reply back when a familiar face approaches his desk with a smile. "Heey! So here you are! How were things in here? I didn't know anyone in my room."

  _[Papa-chan mentioned one of those cake things you two looked up on the net. I think he might try making that. If you tell him I told you about it, though, I will deny everything.]_

He grins back at the boy who had leaned up into his desk. "Things were pretty good here. Too bad we were in different blocks, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding," The brunet laughs, fiddling with his scarf. "Anyway, how'd the exams go for you?"

The young man in blue groans theatrically. "It was okay, I _guess,_ " he whines, earning him a laugh. "C'mon, don't be like that! I'm done for six ways to Sunday, but you don't see me moaning!"

He was about to protest when the classroom door slides open. "Shijima? Shijima Daichi? Oh, there you are," a proctor calls. "You forgot your things!"

 As Daichi flounders over to collect his forgotten items, he returns to his phone. _[ (OvO) cn't w8]_ , he sends back as his friend returns. "That was close. Oh. Seta-jii and Ao-jii checking up on you? I bet you guys are talking about dinner. You are, aren't you?"

"Got it in one," He laughs, holding his phone up so he could see. Daichi positively groans. "Aw, man! No way! You better save me a slice of that; I know how Ao-jii bakes."

"I'll see if I can squirrel away a piece for you," He nods, moving to tuck his phone away when his friend suddenly grabs his hand. "Wait, wait! There's something I want to show you."

"What—" He starts when Daichi plucks the phone from his hands. "Haha, don't be so suspicious. Here."

He hands the phone back; there was now a website displaying with a prominent name. "Nicaea?"

Daichi spreads his hands wide. "Ta-da! Cool, huh? You heard of this Nicaea thing yet? It's that "images of death" website that's been catching on lately."

Images of death? He looked mildly skeptical. "Don't be like that! It said sign up, and you'll see how your friend dies!"

Something must have still showed on his face, because Daichi continues. "Remember the guy who died in a car wreck last week? I forget his name...Well, his friend who signed up for this site saw it happen!" He scratched his head. "Guess it's more like a "cause of death" site than an "images of death" one. Give it a try! You just need to enter your name to get started."

Still dubious, he signs up and chooses an avatar; a cool looking butler that reminds him of Uncle Theo whenever he and his sisters come to visit Papa-chan sometimes.

_**[Kuze Hibiki]** _

The avatar bows. _"...I've been waiting for you. Welcome to Nicaea, your home for images of death. My name is Tico, and I will be your curator. It's an honor to meet you."_

Now, Hibiki had to admit, Daichi came through on this one; it was pretty slick-looking, all things considered. Tico continues on. _"On this website, those you are bonded to by fate, m_ _eaning those you not only encounter, but become deeply connected to in the future._ _This website will reveal to you how and under what circumstances they will die."_

He pulls up a gruesome looking photo, and Hibiki wants to take it all back. He was not a squeamish person under any circumstance; Dojima-jii and Souji-chichi have discussed cases before in the house and have carelessly left behind a few files, much to Papa-chan's consternation. It still makes his stomach turn uncomfortably. "The _manner of their passing will be reported to you as a movie clip viewable onsite._ _We will notify you when new clips are uploaded. Please bear with us._ _Now then, haVE a nICE daY..."_  

Something cold crawled down his spine, something he can't quite shake off. Daichi only looked unaffected. "You see that? Amazing, huh? Is your mind blown or what?"

He doesn't quite know how to reply to that one, so he shrugs. "I guess so." Daichi waves it away. "Man, me too. I signed up for it yesterday. I hope we get to see something soon!"

Hibiki wants to say that isn't exactly an appropriate thing to hope for. _Be careful of the things you wish for,_ Papa-chan often says. _It might just come true._ Souji-chichi had instilled in him a sense of tact, so he keeps it to himself. Daichi blissfully just drags him along for a trip to Shibuya, and Hibiki goes along.

 

**[Shibuya - Hanzoumon Line] [13:00]**

So Hibiki was just about ready to go home. He'll admit he had fun on his afternoon post-exam de-stress shopping trip with Daichi, though he obviously bought too much stuff again. He echoes his sentiment about looking forward to summer vacation, only mildly put off by his best friend's mood about jobs. To be fair, he hasn't really thought about it. Papa-chan and Souji-chichi hadn't really pushed him about what he wanted to do in the future. Maybe not a policeman—no offence to his adoptive dad and all, but he doesn't think he has the constitution for it. What does he actually want to do with his life?

Maybe Papa-chan has space in his room—no, that one's out, he immediately decides. He knows just how much that room grates on his father.

He only realises that Daichi has stopped talking when his head swivels around like a particularly interested dog. He raised an eyebrow. "What's up?" Hibiki asks as he turns to look at whatever caught Daichi's attention.

It was a pretty girl with short, bobbed hair. Hibiki's eyebrows rise. "I knew it...!" Daichi exclaims. "That's Io in Class C, right? Nitta Io!"

Hibiki half-listens to his friend extol all her good qualities; he was well-aware of his crush on the girl. _Smart, cute, gentle, innocent, modest...really something_ , which makes Hibiki privately laugh in his head. It was clear that Daichi was in over the moon, so he doesn't burst his bubble just yet. Though he had to admit, she was cute.

A meek voice pipes up somewhere by them. "Um, excuse me..."

Daichi, ever the hothead, turns around to snap. "Yeah, whaddaya want!? Can't you see we're in the middle of... fantasizing..."

He trails off when it finally hit him that it was none other than Nitta Io who had walked up to them. Hibiki was treated to the sight of said friend slowly flushing the colour of cooked lobster. "I-Io!? Wh-What a coincidence...!"

Hibiki bites down a grin; bless Io. This was enough blackmail material to add to his already insurmountable collection on Shijima Daichi.

(Though, nothing could top the Frog Incident that one time in elementary—that one was Very Special and dear to Hibiki's heart. He's going to forever hold it over Daichi's head _for the rest of his life_.)

Though, Io does look like she wants something from them. Hibiki decides to be merciful and slides his hands in his pockets. "What's the matter?"

She seems to remember herself, briefly flinching. Hibiki smiles encouragingly. "Um...are you just getting back from exams. I came a little late. I was...I was wondering if anyone was still back there."

Daichi pushes him to the side, grinning like a lunatic. "Don't worry! You're in the clear. There are some afternoon tests, so anyone applying for public universities should still be there!"

She nods worriedly. "...Good to know. Thanks."

Hibiki considers her; there was a wrinkle in between her brows and a slight pinch in her expression.

_Souji-chichi once sat him in his lap as they sat under an awning away from the rain. People ran past them, various expressions on your faces. "Listen here, Hibiki," he had said softly. "If you want to know how a person's mind works, it's not enough to listen to what they say. You have to listen to what they're not saying too."_

"...Don't worry about it," he says after a moment's scrutiny. "You'll get questions later."

Io looked pleasantly surprised, and even Daichi raised an eyebrow at him. "Amazing...how did you know that I wanted the sample questions..."

Hibiki was barely paying attention to their stilted goodbyes, when he feels it. There was a tension in the air, like the world holding its breath in anticipation.

  _Papa-chan once taught him how to read fortunes when he was a little boy. The older man spreads three cards out in a line, a secretive smile on his face. "Hibiki-tan," he would say, "why do you think the most basic spread starts with three cards?"  
_

_He hums, frowning thoughtfully at the backs of the cards on the table. "Mm...to represent the past, present and future?"_

_He smiles, nodding as he gently smooths back his hair. "Bingo. Though, that's just one reason. Just remember: Oro, Plata, Mata."_

Their phones chime at the same time, taking him of his musings. "An email?" Daichi mutters uneasily. "Funny that we'd get one all at once. Guess we're on the same wavelength!" He laughs uneasily, opening his phone. "Nicea...?"

Hibiki was too distracted by the apprehension on Io's face to check his own. "What is this...? Creepy..."

"What is it?"

"Hey...Hibiki," Daichi says in a disgusted tone. "This is you, right? Ugh, gross..."

Hibiki moves to take a look at his friend's phone, and immediately wishes he hadn't. Daichi turns mildly green. "Pretty slick," he says with a wavering voice, "I thought the "death clips" would be more chintzy-looking."

"I...I think you're in this too," Io says as she gazes up at Daichi. He flinches. "Huh? Who, me?!"

The jingle for the approaching train chimes. _Oro, plata, mata,_ Hibiki remembers out of the blue. Gold, Silver, Death. It was an ominous memory.

Daichi tries to inject a bit of levity into the situation. "Hey, looks like the train's here."

There was a horrifying screech. The tracks snap apart slowly. Time flows in slow motion as the ceiling collapses.

**_Something's wrong._ **

~~_Hibiki has a secret he hasn't told anyone before, not even his parents.  
_ ~~

~~_There wasn't much he remembers on that day that his world ended; it was mostly sounds, smells. The scent of burning car, of rubber, of choking black smoke. The heat of the flames. The scrape of asphalt._ ~~

There was a crash. The entire area trembles.

"Whoa-- What the!? Is this an earthquake!?"

**_It's like the clip!_ **

Hibiki could barely hear Daichi's screams over the hurtling train crashing down over their heads.

In the darkness of his mind, he hears Tico's calm voice.

_"Master Kuze... Can you hear me? Unfortunately, this is how you will die. And, yet..._

_"If you still wish to live, your "demon summoning app" will surely come in handy."_

 

~~_And a voice._ ~~

_"..Well? Are you going to give up on living?"_

~~_"Do you want to live?"_ ~~

Hibiki's lips crack in a sardonic smile. He tastes copper in his mouth. "...Don't be ridiculous..."

_Stop asking me stupid questions._

_You know what my answer's going to be._

Tico's voice was even, like he had been expecting that answer all along. " _...Of course. Your strong will to live has been confirmed...Well then, I bid you good luck."_

~~_Hibiki doesn't hear him. His attention was on the boy with dark hair and blue, blue eyes in front of him. The boy smiles at him with a nod._ ~~

~~_"Good luck, Hibiki-kun. Make us all proud, yeah?"_ ~~

 

 

(Somewhere else,  a policeman with calm grey eyes retrieves his sword from the corpse of the monster he had buried it in. The body disintegrates, and he meets the calm blue eyes of his companion over the edge of his book.

"Hibiki?"

"Can't raise him on the phone."

"I see. It can't be helped," he says closing the book with a nod. "Come on, Souji. Time to move on. We can't linger here."

The taller man holds his weapon at the ready by his side. "It's started, then."

The man in blue nods, looking up to the sky choked with smoke. "...Yeah. It's the beginning of the end." Souji swallows.

"...Hibiki," he murmurs under his breath as he follows his companion away from the shrine. "Please. Please be alright.")


	2. Sunday’s Melancholy Act 1: The Start of a Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Game's just about beginning. Now open your eyes to the nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA the Author can't do fight scenes to save their life

_Whack!_

_Hibiki drops his shinai, whining. He cradles his hand as his father loomed above him, his own shinai tap tap tapping lazily against his shoulder. The older man sighs. “That was pathetic. Again.”_

_Hibiki sniffles, gripping the handle of the wooden weapon. His hand shakes and throbs with pain as he returns to his stance._

_Whap! The blade goes flying again._

_“Maa, Banchō,” a velvet voice calls from the door leading back inside the house. “Be gentle. Look, you’ve made him cry.”_

_Hibiki was rubbing at his eyes with his unhurt hand, his small shoulders shaking. Gentle arms wrap around him, pulling him into a strong chest with a gentle kiss to the back of his head. “It’s okay, Hibiki-tan. There, there.”_

_“Honestly, Minato. Stop spoiling him; he’s never going to learn anything at this rate.”_

_Hibiki buries his face into a soft blue sweater, feeling more than hearing the soft chuckle in reply. “We still have a few more years to go yet. Let him be a kid for a bit longer, Souji-papa.”_

_Souji rolls his eyes as he sat beside the two of them. Hibiki could smell the scent of his sweat and the grass on his shirt as he wraps an arm around his husband and pulls them close. “You were the one who suggested this. Don’t act like you haven’t had a hand in this mess. And for god’s sake, Minato, don’t call me that.”_

_Hibiki lifts head up just enough to see Minato lean in to kiss Souji along the jaw. The policeman rolls his eyes, though he doesn't protest. “You’re more qualified to do this—you’re the one who went to kendo club and competed in regionals.”_

_“True, that I did,” the older brunet hums, leaning against Souji’s shoulder. He winks at Hibiki when he realises he was watching them. “Ignore your chichi. He’s just being a sour old man.”_

_“Who’s being sour,” Souji sighs, gently ruffling the boy’s curly hair. Hibiki revels in the gentleness of those callused fingers. Minato chuckles. “Ne, Hibiki-tan? It’s okay to cry, but everything has a time and a place, okay? Sometimes, you’re going to be scared, but you can’t show that you are. Remember to always show your best face, even when you’re hurt or sad. Always have a little hope here,” he says, patting the boy’s chest. The boy wraps his arms around his waist, squeezing him tight. Two sets of hands gently stroke his back. “You’ll always be our strong boy, won’t you?”_

**CRASH!**

Hibiki wakes up in a jolt, lifting his aching head up. His vision swims, fighting with the taste of blood in his mouth.

Ah, shit. He bit his tongue. He hasn’t done that since he was a kid smacking his own face half the time with his training weapons. Somewhere in his periphery, he registers Daichi stirring.

Most of his attention was on the squat, red _thing_ that pushed the remains of the train car away from them. He struggles to his feet, trying to get a handle on his breathing. “Poker face, Hibiki,” he mutters to himself, wiping his chin. This was not the time to panic.

“Phew, finally! I’m in the human world!” It cackles. “That train sure was heavy!”

Hibiki moves lightly to the side, just in front of his waking companions as he kept an eye on the creature. Half his attention was split into looking for anything that they could use as weapons and all possible exit points.

(If all else fails, he still had the folding ceramic knife Papa-chan made for his birthday in the lining of his jacket. He’s not the best with it, but it’s definitely better than nothing.  
‘Deep breath. You can keep them alive, you know you can.’)

The thing finally turns around— _yōkai_ , a voice whispers in his head, familiar and sweet—and curls a clawed appendage at them. It’s fangs glisten under the flickering lights of the subway. “Hey! Name’s Obariyon. Don’t go dying just yet—it’s my job to kill ya!”

Daichi yells in fright, backing away on his hands. Io awakens, shrieking when she spots the demon. Hibiki slowly backs them towards the exit on soft, small steps.

_”Be mindful of your enemy, Hibiki,” Souji tells him. “It’s not a weakness to run; fight only if necessary.”_

The Obariyon cackles, fired up with glee. “Perfect timing! That’s the spirit…I’ll fight you all at once.”

“You two,” Hibiki says loud enough to catch their attention. “On the count of three, head for the stairs. One…two…”

Malicious laughter rings through the ruins of the subway. Hibiki curses under his breath. Daichi’s back presses against his, his faint trembling palpable through his uniform blazer. “S-s-seriously!? There are a monsters in front and behind us!”

Hibiki risks glancing behind them; familiar creatures were blocking their exit. He recognises them from his Papa-chan’s Compendium. ‘A Pixie and a Poltergeist—not good,” he thinks. ‘These are malicious spirits.’ If they weren’t careful, they could bring down the rest of the subway over their heads. Io’s hands were tight on his arm. “Wha…what should we do? At this rate, we’re…”

_”Hibiki-tan”, Papa-chan says on one of the rare days he took over training. The sabre in his hand was deadly and elegant. “If there is no other option, do not hesitate. Just remember—"_

“Die already! I’ve got other stuff to get back to!”

‘—To make sure you end it,’ Hibiki takes his knife, unfolding it with a flick of his hand. “Let’s fight.” Daichi sends him an incredulous look. “What!? Are you serious!? You want us to fight them!?” Hibiki glances at him briefly. “What, you wanna die down here? If we don’t fight, we might as well let them cut us down!”

The fae creature behind them laughs maliciously, like chimes in a hurricane. “That’s pretty good—for a human. But can you beat me?”

Hibiki nudges his friends. “Go grab something to defend yourselves with, now!” Io and Daichi reluctantly follow, the girl’s hands deathly pale around the bit of pipe she had picked up. Hibiki nods. “Things will be okay.”

“R-really?” She stutters fearfully. “I’m so worried…!”

Beside him, he dimly notes Daichi wrapping his hands with the pocket squares he always seemed to carry with him. He approves, even if he worries; Daichi's strength was his speed—he'd need to get in close to do any damage, and who knows what damage these monsters could do within melee distance. No matter; if all went well, they wouldn't be roughed up too bad.

He hoped, anyway; the bit of training that his fathers had drilled subconsciously into Daichi disguised as play sessions better be useful here, dammit.

The Obariyon lunges at Hibiki, and he rolls to the side, leading it away from the others. It screeches. "Your life against my freedom. What's more important...? Freedom!"

'Well, _crap_.' He curses in his head as the knife scrapes against leathery claws. 'These things want to kill us for real.' He flicks his glance towards the others—

_Whap! His weapon was knocked out of his hand. "Pay attention!" Souji yells, holding his shinai threateningly. 'In a real fight, your only focus is on yourself!'_

—He turns back to the Obariyon, just in time to duck the swipe aimed at his head. Somewhere to his left, Io fends off the Pixie tossing literal thunderbolts at her. 'Keep your head, Kuze,' he thinks to himself, readjusting his grip on his knife. 'You can't help if you're dead.'

 

(Somewhere else, a policeman murmurs softly to the injured woman as he props her up against the wall. The gentle glow of a healing spell was hidden under his hand. His teenage companion calmly smacks away a Poltergeist with his book, and it disintegrates with a wail. He stretches. "Souji. Time to go."

The man nods, sighing. "No place is safe, huh, Minato?"

He shook his head, tucking his book under his arm. "Not right now, no. Except maybe...in between."

"The Room?"

Minato nodded. "It's too bad, but the door in the house is inaccessible now. We'll have to find another way in."

Souji nodded, standing up. "The ley lines, then?"

"Best way to do it at this point," he says, holding out a hand. "Come on. We might run into Hibiki while we're at it.")

 

Hibiki and the others huddle together, shaking. The brunet returns his blade to its hiding place, ignoring his shaking hand. "Everybody okay?"

As they take stock of themselves, he takes a moment to think about their fight earlier. The monsters mentioned contracts, becoming their demons.

Contracts...demons...

_Hibiki reaches out for one of his Papa's cards. The silvery white creature on it made him feel calm._

_"Hibiki-tan," The older man says softly, as he picks it up. Tiny fingers trace the stylised zero on it. "Did you know that gods can become demons? It depends on human intent."_

Daichi mutters in a panic. "What's going on...? We saw the death clip... and then the earthquake happened! And then... those monsters appeared... Dammit!"

"Calm down," Hibiki tries, only to step back as his best friend yells at him. " I-I can't calm down! You saw the death clip too, didn't you?"

Hibiki presses his lips together, looking annoyed when Io whimpers. "...I'm scared. Can we get out of here first?" Shakily, they all pile out of the subway.

Above ground, Shibuya was in chaos.

At the crossing, the large LED display was showing a news broadcast. [" _We interrupt our regularly scheduled program for this urgent news bulletin._ _At around 13:00, a large-scale calamity, reportedly a vertical shock quake, occurred._ _There are no details yet, but massive casualties have been reported in the city. Once again, at around 13:00--"_ _]_

The display cuts off, much to the consternation of everyone in the crossing. Hibiki was barely paying attention as is; he was trying to raise a signal.

 _[No service]._ Hibiki sighs. It wasn't as if he expected anything else. Beside him, Daichi and Io make noises about calling home.

'I should call my own parents,' briefly crosses his mind. Io suddenly returns to his side, mumbling about down phone lines and lost radio signals.

"...What do we do?"

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sharp-eyed readers might have noticed that some of the dialogue have been changed and some of the story has been cut. That is mostly intentional, since, somewhat subpar translations and the canon divergence tag. Also, I don't want it to drag on forever. I'm not looking to faithfully replicate the entire thing, just the experience. 
> 
> (I can't resist. Hibiki is a little shit.)
> 
> Also, because I'm a shit, this is the sponge cake thing Souji mentions in-text:  
> https://goo.gl/images/L7qf1N.  
> Sponge cake topped with a rich caramel custard. Very much too sweet for Japanese palates, but I absolutely love it~
> 
> Be hungry with me, I dare you.


End file.
